THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 10, 1995 TAG: 9505100437
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Representatives from a company hired to investigate air quality in Churchland High School met with about 20 staffers and parents Tuesday to outline plans to determine whether the school's indoor air is polluted.
The Virginia Beach architectural engineering company Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern Inc. will be paid $29,000 to study Churchland's ventilation systems and building materials and test indoor air for various properties and chemicals to figure out what's behind the complaints.
The investigation should be completed in four months, a company representative said. School staff members began to express concerns about air quality last year.
Previous school inspections uncovered several glitches, including mechanical equipment failure stemming from debris buildup, air flow problems in first-floor classrooms, and missing vents.
In August, the district tested the air in four rooms. District records also show a request to correct an ``air-balancing problem'' at the school last year.
Some teachers and students say the school suffers from ``sick building'' syndrome. That condition can occur when a combination of faulty heating and inadequate air circulation leads to a buildup of moisture, mold and mildew. The mold and mildew have been blamed for some people's aggravated allergies and respiratory difficulties.
Too little fresh air in a building also can raise carbon dioxide levels, causing headaches, fatigue or dizziness.
On Tuesday, several teachers said they and their students could barely tolerate the air in classrooms. Teachers also described deteriorating health and attributed it to air inside the school.
On Monday, the city's director of public works said problems had been fixed - several by the contractor, because some work had not been done as specified before the school opened in 1992.
The contractor - Vermont-based Pizzagalli - recently oversaw an air-quality test at the school. The city is awaiting results.
Still, school and city administrators wanted an outside group to investigate further, because complaints have persisted. The City Council voted Tuesday to pay Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern about $29,000 for the job.
The company also was hired to help solve indoor air problems at four Virginia Beach schools.
This week, Churchland High distributed a survey to students and employees, asking them to describe the climate in various rooms and any health problems that could be related.
The company will release its report this fall, but some findings will be made public as the investigation unfolds, the representative said.
KEYWORDS: SICK BUILDING by CNB